Aaron Rodgers chatted with Zach Wilson and reunited with familiar faces during the Jets’ first joint practice with the Packers on Wednesday.
When Zach Wilson stepped onto the same practice field as Aaron Rodgers on Wednesday afternoon, the Jets rookie had to take a moment to soak in the fact that he is now technically equal with a quarterback he once idolized.
Wilson and Rodgers both went to work for their respective teams during the first day of joint practices between the Jets and Packers, with Wilson dealing with a ton of pressure from Green Bay’s defensive line and Rodgers operating Matt LaFleur’s offensive scheme to near perfection. The two took the time to chat when they were not taking reps during a special teams period, though. Wilson did more listening than talking in an effort to learn a thing or two from the future Hall of Famer.
“He’s a cool guy,” Wilson said. “I’ve talked to him before in the past. He’s got a lot of knowledge. He’s a smart dude. He knows what’s going on out there, so it’s cool to kind to ask him about footwork, what’s going on on the field, what he’s seeing. If I could spend more time with him and just keep asking questions, I would.”
Rodgers found his interaction with Wilson equally as positive, praising New York’s rookie quarterback. He also took day one of the joint practices to reacquaint himself with some familiar faces.
“Zach’s a good kid,” Rodgers said, per SNY. “It was fun to see him. I got to talk to him various times throughout the offseason. It’s good having these guys in. I’ve known coach [Robert] Saleh for a while, played against him, obviously, a number of times. Him and Matt [LaFleur] are close. I think the offensive coordinator [Mike LaFleur], I think he’s close to Matt as well.
“It’s fun having these guys in. I got to see Josh Johnson. I haven’t seen Josh in a while. Greg Van Roten, we’ve had some good nicknames for him over the years.”
When talking with Wilson and Mike White, Rodgers also made a point to dive into the nuances of the Jets’ offense, which is similar to the one they run in Green Bay.
“I wanted to talk to Mike and Zach about the operation a little bit,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, I’ve been around a long time and called my own two-minute for a number of years, well over a decade. So, I wanted to give them a couple of things to think about on their own. [Mike LaFleur is] a first-time coordinator. [Wilson is] a first-time starter. There’s just some things in the operation that I felt like I could help with.
“That’s the best part about this, just getting to see other guys you know about and get to meet and talk ball is fun.”
After an offseason filled with plenty of drama, there is no telling how much longer Rodgers has left with the Packers — or in the NFL in general. If this week is the last time Wilson gets the chance to catch up with Rodgers while both are active in the league, the experience will be one he carries with him as he continues his journey as a passer.
“We’re all technically at the same level now, we’re all in the NFL, but we’re all kind of like, ‘That’s Aaron Rodgers, that’s kind of crazy,’ ” Wilson said. “It’s still a great tool for us just to be able to learn from him and kind of see what he’s doing.”
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